Kathleen Kennedy Tapped to Lead LA28 Olympic Ceremonies

Kathleen Kennedy, the former head of Lucasfilm, has been picked to lead the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Variety reported on October 28, 2026.

She takes over from Peter Rice, who will step back from the role. Variety reported that Rice was hired as Netflix's chief content officer, the executive in charge of the streaming service's programming. He will stay involved with the Games' organising committee as an executive producer.

Kennedy left Lucasfilm at the end of 2025. She had run the company, the studio behind the Star Wars films, as president for 14 years. Her move from film to live global spectacle is the kind of career change that rarely happens in one step, and it is the first major creative job she has taken on since leaving.

The Games are set to open with a ceremony on July 14, 2028, and close on July 30, 2028. The Paralympic Games follow, with an opening ceremony on August 15, 2028, and a closing ceremony on August 27, 2028, according to Variety.

The organising committee is led by Casey Wasserman, its chairperson and president. Ben Winston is the creative director for the ceremonies, so Kennedy will work alongside him on the show itself.

The scale of the Games gives those ceremonies a lot to hold. According to the LA28 organising committee, the programme will feature more than 55 Olympic and Paralympic sports, over 800 events, and more than 3,000 hours of live action.

What comes next is the planning. Opening and closing ceremonies are built over many months, with stadium rehearsals, music clearances, and broadcast timing all falling into place well before the first performer walks out. The 2028 dates give the team a clear runway, and the next public details will show how the creative team shapes the shows.